With the provincial and municipal examinations approaching, Su Yi is busy preparing for the exams every day, and Liu Huan is also focusing her attention on him.
After all, the whole process is for his exam; let's not put the cart before the horse.
Not being reassured, he specifically emphasized, "Stone, don't eat out lately. Come back early and I'll cook for you."
Su Yi: "Okay, I understand."
When the exam was approaching, Su's parents came.
She also brought good news. Liu Huan asked, "Mother, what good news is it?"
Mother Su beamed from ear to ear: "Your eldest brother's marriage..."
Liu Huan hurriedly asked, "It's settled, which family's daughter is she?"
Su's mother was waiting for her to ask: "She is the niece of the wealthy Huang family in town. I have met that girl. She is graceful and poised. Although she is not the most beautiful, she is a good match for your older brother."
"Yeah?"
Mother Su laughed even more smugly: "Would I lie to you? That girl even said that if things go well, they can get married next month!"
"Did you see it, brother?"
Su's mother whispered a funny story about him: "Your eldest brother, that blockhead, only met me briefly the other day, and he's already started learning how to make hairpins."
He spoke frankly to her: "I think that with our family's previous conditions, let alone Master Huang's niece, even Ah Hua in the village would probably have had a hard time. We should be content."
"Mother is still waiting to hold her grandson."
Liu Huan felt that something was wrong. Although she had never been married, she knew that marriage was not something to be taken lightly, especially in ancient times.
The process involved three formal letters, six formal engagements, and an eight-person sedan chair, taking at least half a year to complete.
How come the niece of the wealthy Huang family is so fast?
"Mother, I remember it took my eldest cousin half a year from proposing to getting married, how come this girl got married so quickly?"
This left Su's mother speechless. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Perhaps she feels that it doesn't matter when she gets married, sooner or later."
Liu Huan felt that this reason was too far-fetched. No matter how anxious one was, one would not disregard their daughter's happiness like this.
Seeing how happy Su's mother was, she couldn't bring herself to say anything malicious or speculative.
They simply changed the subject and started talking about doing business with the Guan family.
"So many in one day?"
Su's mother was shocked when she heard this; how could the people in this county be so rich?
Liu Huan: "We're about to open a branch store, and we'll need even more chili peppers then. Please tell your uncle to grow more."
Su's mother was secretly pleased: "Good, good, good! The village has made a lot of money because of you, and everyone is grateful to you."
Fearing it would affect Su Yi's exam, Liu Huan didn't mention her older brother's situation.
It was half a month later when he finished the prefectural and provincial examinations.
Su's mother sent word, asking them to go back, saying that their eldest brother was engaged.
Liu Huan then realized that she had forgotten about this matter.
"Did Mother tell you about your brother's engagement?" Su Yi asked, as he hadn't heard anything about it.
"Oh, my parents mentioned it last time. You had exams coming up then, so we didn't want to bother you."
When I returned home, the house was filled with joy and there were many things, all wrapped in red paper.
"You've come back just in time. We're going to Miss Huang's house tomorrow to get engaged. You can come along so the Huang family can see our future scholar."
Liu Huan's sixth sense was very accurate; she intuitively felt that things weren't that simple.
But no matter what, you have to see it to know.
It was a rare occasion for everyone to eat together, and after finishing, Xiao Shi slipped into Liu Huan's room.
He furtively closed the door, carrying his things, and tiptoed over: "Huanhuan? Huanhuan?"
Liu Huan sat up in bed, her hair a complete mess: "What's up?"
Xiao Shi chuckled twice, "I missed you so much, did you miss me too?"
Liu Huan lies without even thinking: "I miss it, I can't even enjoy my food."
Xiao Shi, seeing her radiant face, didn't believe it at all.
"You said you looked like me? You've gained a lot of weight, you heartless man."
After saying that, he stormed off in a huff.
The next day, Liu Huan was woken up very early and put on the new dress that Cao'er had made for her. Su Yi skillfully tied her hair into a bun and put on a hair flower, making her look much more energetic.
Su's mother directed her family to carry the things and went with the matchmaker to the woman's house.
The town wasn't big, and Master Huang's house was very close; we arrived quickly.
A servant was guarding the door, and when he saw them coming, he quickly opened the door.
Madam Huang came out to greet them warmly: "Oh, my dear in-law, please come in."
Madam Huang was adorned with gold and silver, and had a large gold lock on her chest; her demeanor was that of a nouveau riche.
Standing next to her was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she was very fair-skinned, just as Su's mother had said. She was fair and clean-looking, and seemed to have good fortune.
Even so, Liu Huan still saw a look of disdain in her eyes, even if it was just a fleeting glimpse.
Things were indeed not that simple.
The matchmaker enthusiastically smoothed things over, saying, "I've never seen such a perfect match before, a golden couple. Once they're married, they'll definitely give Madam Su a big, healthy grandson."
When Su's mother heard this, she probably thought of her cousin's son, Su Zhuangzhuang, and almost laughed her teeth out.
"I've been waiting for this day."
Da Shi kept his head down, his ears turning bright red.
Upon seeing this, Madam Huang jokingly said, "Everyone, please stop talking. The young couple are just shy."
This made Da Shi even more ashamed.
The matchmaker raised an eyebrow: "Da Shi, why don't you take Miss Huang for a walk?"
Da Shi said in a muffled voice, "Oh... um."
Before he could even speak, the young woman in yellow took the lead and left. Da Shi froze for a moment, then quickly followed.
Su's mother felt a little uneasy, but she didn't show it on her face.
The matchmaker tried to smooth things over, saying, "Well... Miss is just shy. She'll be fine after she gets married."
Only then did Su's mother's discomfort subside.
Liu Huan excused herself to go to the toilet. After the servant led her there, she told the servant to go back, saying, "Thank you for leading the way, sister. I'll go back by myself in a bit."
After the servants left, she ran towards the direction of Daishi and the other person.
In the garden, the two were seen standing far apart, and Miss Huang looked very impatient.
Daishi was very submissive.
To hear what they were saying, Liu Huan hid behind the artificial hill.
Then they heard Da Shi say, "Miss Huang, this is a pear blossom hairpin that I made myself, and I'm giving it to you."
Ms. Huang glanced at it and said a simple "thank you".
Da Shi didn't know how to interact with girls and remained silent for a long time.
Ms. Huang looked somewhat impatient, and she kept touching her stomach and covering her nose.
"Young Master Su, I heard that your family owns several shops. Will all of these shops be yours in the future?"
Oishi was clearly shocked that she would ask such a question, yet she had no choice but to answer.
"No, those belong to my brothers and sisters."
Ms. Huang was clearly a little unhappy: "So what the matchmaker said was false? How are we going to support our child in the future?"
Daishi hurriedly explained, "No! I can earn money, and I'll get a share of it in the future. I can support my child."
Miss Huang was clearly dissatisfied: "You earn so little money, and you still have to divide it among your brothers. Your second brother is still in school. No way. Go back and tell your mother that we will divide the family property after we get married, and we need two shops."
Da Shi kept his head down and didn't say anything, and Miss Huang didn't urge him either.
"Anyway, you decide what to do. We'll be family from now on. I'm marrying you next month. Would I ever harm you?"
As she said this, her hand unconsciously touched her stomach.
As soon as they left, Liu Huan turned around and saw Shi Tou standing behind her, which startled her.
"Stone, what are you doing? You scared me."
Stone looked in the direction the two had left and asked, "What are you looking at now?"
"Of course... I'm looking at my future sister-in-law."
Su Yi casually remarked, "More like a conman."
Liu Huan didn't know how to describe her current feelings; it was as if a helper had come when she was at her wit's end.
"You noticed that Miss Huang was acting strange, didn't you? Do you think she might be pregnant?"
Liu Huan was shocked by her own conclusion. This... is impossible, right? It is said that women in ancient times valued their reputation.
A barely perceptible glint of malice flashed in Su Yi's eyes, then he calmly said, "Perhaps. I'm going back."
Liu Huan was preoccupied with something on her mind, and she didn't even pay attention to the road ahead.
She almost bumped into a tree, but Su Yi pulled her away: "Walk properly. You don't even have this much self-control. You'll be crying if you fall flat on your face."
Liu Huan snapped out of her daze and smiled, revealing her dimples: "Isn't it because you're here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com